


Beauty and the Gladiator

by BabyChocoboAlchemist



Series: The Reborn Crownsguard [1]
Category: Final Fantasy VIII, Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Chapter 10 AU, Comfort, Hurt, Love, M/M, Set in the VIII universe because canon universe was too painful, Written because I felt Gladiolus was a huge you-know-what to Ignis
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-22
Updated: 2017-06-23
Packaged: 2018-11-17 12:23:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,114
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11275263
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BabyChocoboAlchemist/pseuds/BabyChocoboAlchemist
Summary: "Look. What happened back there, everything I said...I didn't mean for any of it to hurt you." Gladiolus, after breaking Ignis down, confronts the possibility of losing the man he loves forever. Iris' brother has never been known to be tactful, and against Ignis, he lacked tact in the worst ways imaginable. He hopes to cure the wounds he inflicted, but will Ignis forgive him?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Reconstruction](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11105163) by [Ginia](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ginia/pseuds/Ginia). 



> Hello! :) Thank you for coming. I chose to set this in the Final Fantasy VIII universe because using the canon setting, knowing full well what awaits the chocobros at the end of their original story, would've hurt way too much. So I ran with my current VIII/XV craving, writing this as a separate thing from Ikigai because in that adventure, Gladiolus and Ignis remain brothers.
> 
> This is my first Gladnis piece. I never cared about Gladnis until I read 'Reconstruction' by Ginia, a piece in which Gladiolus apologizes for his actions against Ignis in the canon setting. It was an honor to read that piece. :)

Gladiolus Amicitia was afraid of something. 

Sure, no one ever put the word 'fear' anywhere near his name, but that was one of the many truths the world missed about Iris' brother. He too could feel pain, sorrow, heartbreak and frustration, just like any other mortal. Everyone had written him off as something that wasn't even human, something invincible and unbelievably powerful, but in truth, all it took was for life to poke him once-just once-and he would crumble. Iris had seen her brother crumble, literally fall apart right in front of her very eyes, out of fear. Worry. Heartbreak. Things no one that he could feel, because when did invincible titans experience such weaknesses?

So she knew. She knew better than anyone. While that provided some much-needed comfort, he hated being locked away from the rest of the world. Isolated from even those he loved, and loved him in return. One person in particular had just bolted his door away from humanity down a thousand times. Their last conversation was a billion miles away from pleasant, coming in the wake of destruction that swept Balamb Garden into a massive tidal wave, wreaking havoc on every life present. Instructor Ignis Scientia, along with every other authority figure, took up arms in defending students-

Losing his sight in the process. 

That night found him no different from a paper against flame-unforgivably weak, broken, lost. A part of Gladiolus loathed the weaknesses, hated himself for giving into them, even just for a second, but there was a greater part of him that wanted the weaknesses to be seen. To be heard, understood and accepted. For what felt like an eternity, everyone believed him to be something he wasn't. They believed him to be something far away from their own kind-Noctis, Prompto and Ignis included. Ignis being the greatest blade in his side, even above unbelievably kind, innocent, beautiful Prompto.

Prompto. The name that once brought profound joy brought equally powerful nausea. Little brother had just been taken from them by someone claiming to be an ally of Balamb Garden and a long-time friend of Regis', all the while working under Sorceress Edea. Their little photographer was snatched out of the Garden in the midst of the chaos Ardyn Izunia unleashed, ripped out of their lives before any of them could even blink-and Ignis wanted to rush after him. 

Ah. Not only did he fail to protect his baby brother, but there was Ignis. Divine, selfless Ignis. The man's heart Gladiolus had just broken, just a few short hours ago. He hadn't meant for it to happen, but it did-as it had far too many times in the past. Everything came out wrong, so horribly wrong, leaving the instructor in shards. When all Ignis wanted to do was help the others bring their chocobo home. But- 

_"Dammit, Ignis, you go out there and you'll get yourself killed! A damn baby could figure that out!"_

_"You won't be of any use to the kid dead, you got that?! Why do you always have to be so gods-damned stubborn?!"_

As it usually did whenever Gladio wanted to express himself, everything came out terribly, horribly, insanely wrong. And so, it was on that night he faced something no one ever thought he'd have: a fear. Not just a fear, though, but his greatest fear: losing someone he loved. 

In that case, two people he loved. One being on the other side of the door his back was slumped against.

It hurt, knowing Ignis was on the other side of that door feeling less than human, weak, helpless and broken. It hurt, hurt as though he had carried wounds from a previous lifetime and joined them with the wounds of the present, making the pain twofold. It hurt, feeling as though he had committed the same crime before, crushing the man he loved with ferocity beyond words without batting an eye. Hurt knowing that he, the great and powerful Coach Amicitia, had a lot to do with Ignis' pain. While Noctis, Squall and the others were preparing retaliation against the Chancellor for the inflicted chaos, the Garden's newest coach found himself unable to move on without speaking his piece. For how could he even _think_ of looking Prompto in the eye after he had just broken one of his brothers into unforgivably small pieces?

He spent his hours as SEED coach telling his male students to be 'men among men', but that night, it was finally time for him to take his own advice.

Iris' brother knocked on the door to Ignis' dorm room, but Gladiolus was quick to stop him from moving an inch. "Don't get up, please," he urged, his voice uncharacteristically soft, most likely putting Ignis off for a thousand reasons because one: why in the seven Hells would he want to talk to the bastard that had just told him he was completely and utterly useless to his family? His baby brother?

"You don't have to do anything but listen. Just for a few minutes, Iggy. That's all."

Silence. Of course there was silence. Ignis was probably figuring out a way to kill him. With that in mind, a heavy-hearted Amicitia went on, smiling, chest feeling heavier than the moon. "Just wanted to let you know a few things, then I'll be on my way," he assured the instructor with a weak chuckle, then laid a fist against the door. Had he felt the same pain before? Certainly felt like it. Felt as though they were a dozen open, bleeding wounds covering him from head to toe. He would've preferred being boiled alive.

"Look. What happened back there, everything I said...I didn't mean for any of it to hurt you. I swear, on the honor of the Cup Noodle dynasty. It just...I'm just...really worried about the kid, and...worried about _you._ I don't...I know this is gonna sound completely stupid, but...I feel like...we've been here before. I feel like there was a time in which I pushed you away, tried to find you but couldn't. I know that sounds totally insane, but I can't shake it. I know we've been here before, and I don't want that to happen again. I don't want to lose you again. Not again. I just...I can't. I can't go there again. I can't go where I can't find you."

Even more tears strained his voice, not at all suppressed by someone believed to be invincible, someone that enjoyed believing he was an invincible, all-powerful giant. "I'm sorry, Ignis. I know that's not something you ever thought you'd hear out of me, but I am. In more ways than one. If you wanna tag along and help bring back the bird, you can. I'm not gonna stop you. I'll be your eyes. Your ears. Whatever you need me to be, dammit. If anyone wants you, there gonna hafta get through me-and I'm not an easy kill. A part of me still wants you to stay behind, so you'll be safe, because hot damn, I don't want anything to happen to anyone else I care about, but...if you're really set on going, then let's go. Remember: we're taking off before daybreak."

He bit his bottom lip hard enough to tear into it. "I don't even know what I expect you to say or do," he laughed, tears burning, overwhelming his vision, his being. "If you show up and never want anything to do with me ever again, fine. Just...I just want you to know I'm sorry and I love you. I love you, Ignis. I loved you in whatever lifetime we shared before this one, and I love you now. Not as your brother any more, either."

Even more silence. Well, it _was_ what he deserved.

Feeling heavier than two moons, Gladiolus waited another second, hoping a certain head would pop out of that door and say something, anything to him, but nothing happened. With a sigh, knowing he'd return to his dorm room and do something he hadn't done in years, he began to walk away, but then-

The door opened. And that head popped out, bringing with it a light, beautiful, warm chuckle.

"You believe in reincarnation? I never would've guessed."

Smiling out of relief, happiness and shock, Gladiolus whirled around with a nervous chuckle, all the while rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah, I never would've guessed, either. Go figure. Learn something new every day."

Ignis stepped beyond the door to his dormitory, with Iris' brother instantly rushing to his side, heart racing, unable to believe Ignis had even emerged-but the instructor steaded himself with his cane, shaking off the other's concern with a reassuring, warm smile. "Funny how you brought up the subject of past lives," the Garden's adored instructor said with a nod, face no longer worn down by exhaustion and sadness, but ablaze with light. 

"I've been feeling that way too, truth be told. About how we've been here before. How _I_ couldn't find _you._ I've been thinking, among many other things, that I repulsed you in that lifetime-just as I've disgusted and shamed you in _this_ lifetime."

Horror broke out on the coach's face, swift and powerful. "You? Disgust me? Maybe when pigs fly," he replied with an anxious chuckle, drawing the other into his arms as though Ignis were made of the most divine, fragile thread. Seeing the instructor make absolutely no move to pull out of his grasp, Iris' brother kissed the bridge of his nose, then his cheeks.

Ignis still made no effort to escape. "I'm going with you, you know," he declared, his voice rebellious, soft, filled with longing. Gladiolus cupped his face, lifted his glasses and kissed his eyes.

"I know."

"I don't want to stay behind."

"I know. Because you're so damn stubborn. Always were."

"Do you think he's all right?"

"Who, Prompto?" Gladiolus, despite his chest feeling heavier than ten moons, laughed. "Damn right I do. Kid's a hell of a lot stronger than we give him credit for. We'll find him, Iggy, and bring him home. It'll be a piece of cake."

"It wasn't entirely your fault, you know," the instructor confessed, placing his head against the other's chest, wrapping his arms around him. Ignis' voice and body became surprisingly small, letting Iris' brother know just how fragile he really was. "I feel I've become less than useless. Less than human, honestly, which was why I surrendered to your input so easily."

Gladiolus encased him in an embrace made of iron, unwilling to let go under any force's orders. "Then you're just as stupid as the kid. If anyone's become useless, it's me. There's no way in Hell you're ever gonna be useless because you're Ignis. Stubborn, stupid, beautiful Ignis."

"My, you have a way with words."

"I know. Sis says I'm a bonafide Casanova."

"She feels sorry for you, poor thing," the instructor said, wrapped his hands around the back of his friend's head, and pulled him into a kiss that wouldn't have been long enough if it had gone beyond the end of time. Ignis broke it, landing his forehead against the other's, stroking the other's face with his hands. "But I'll take 'stubborn and stupid', thank you," he murmured. With a much lighter, happier, tearful chuckle, Gladiolus pressed his lips against the Scientia's.

"And 'beautiful'. You forgot 'beautiful'."


	2. Sacrifice and Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Ignis. Ignis, wake up. Ignis, please, wake up, gods damn it!" Gladiolus rushes after the one and only love of his life, hoping to stop Ignis from making a horrible mistake.

Pushing himself beyond his limits, Gladiolus ran. Ran even when his body should've shattered into a million pieces. Ran even after his heart wanted to give out, screaming at him to stop, to give it even just a second of relief. He ran, ignoring the threat of immediate shut-down, in full awareness of what he was about to lose. 

He ran, knowing there was no other option. Knowing he had fallen in love with a life that was in mortal danger. It couldn't have been no more than a few moments ago that he held that life, that sacred gift, in his arms, comforting him over the pain Prompto had barely endured. Just a few short hours ago, Balamb Garden's SEEDs succeeded in liberating their little brother from Hell's deepest recesses, with Instructor Scientia in tow. Coach Gladiolus Amicitia, swearing to forever remain Ignis' shield, stood by him in every moment of battle. Gladiolus didn't leave the instructor's side for even a second, knowing that in doing so, the man he loved would disappear like a dream. As though he had never been there at all. Which was why leaving Ignis unattended in the wake of their mission was complete and utter lunacy. Sure, everything met a peaceful, tearful end, with the Garden's little brother brought back home. Sure, the efforts to rebuild the war-torn Garden were well under way. But Iris' brother made the mistake of believing everything truly was all right, that he was no longer in immediate danger of having Ignis vanish without a trace.

Wrong.

Pushing himself beyond his limits, Gladiolus ran. Ran knowing his friends, his soulmates, were all right. Hell would be torn asunder to protect Prompto, as every last member of the SEED force swore. Not even a hair would be plucked from the photographer's head, if Noctis, Squall, Zell or any of the others had anything to say about it. They were all right as well. Still shaken by almost losing their baby chocobo, but safe. All in one piece, back where they belonged. Ignis had swerved off the beaten path and onto his own yet again, uncomfortable with the status quo, always needing to do things his own way. Which usually resulted in mass chaos, in Gladiolus' book.

Ignis' latest decision was about to result in something much greater, though. So it was a decision that couldn't be allowed to pass.

He knew. Knew how helpless, lost and frustrated the instructor felt, stripped of something so crucial to his identity. While he may not have lost his sight, Gladiolus knew. Knew what it felt like to be helpless, small and frightened. It was in that state of mind Ignis had apparently been left in, even after Prompto had been returned home, and it was that state of mind the coach had to pull him out of. So he ran. Ran onto earth swelling with hellfire, heart racing, pulsating against time's fibers with a vengeance. Ran deeper into the caverns lit with Ifrit's hellflame, seeking the face he had held onto in his dreams. The reason that got him out of bed every morning. 

The others would be all right. The kid would be all right. An entire force of students and instructors loved him, would tear down the heavens and earth to keep him safe. Thanks to Squall, Noctis would be all right. But without Ignis, _he_ wouldn't be all right. He, the all-powerful, mighty, invincible Gladiolus Amicitia, would lose everything. 

And that was something he couldn't afford to lose.

He ran, arms pumping, spirit flaring with the need to find a particular face. Aching with the need to comfort someone that had been much too kind, too giving, too noble in not just one but _two_ lifetimes. Deeper into the cavern he ran, treading where SEED candidates had gone to earn Ifrit's blessing-treading where Ignis had gone to make the biggest mistake imaginable. What must've been an eternity passed before he caught sight of a familiar form, several yards away-a limp form on the Altar of Fire. With a hundred punches landing deep into his stomach, face as white as the moon, the SEED coach darted towards the fallen form, heart racing so hard it hurt, bled. 

As he swept the instructor into his arms, nausea surged through him like a wave of lightning. Ignis must've asked some guide to help him into Ifrit's Cavern. A guide not at all connected to the rest of the SEEDs. There was no way in Hell any one of the kids would've agreed to escort him. Noctis would've chained him to the bed. Prompto would've done the same. So that's how he must've arrived. That's how he must've been able to-

_Don't do this to me. Don't do this to me. Please don't do this to me. If you don't, I'll be a better man, I swear it, just don't do this to me. Please. I beg you. Don't. Don't take him away from me._

The name rushed out of his lips, frantic, fearful, hoarse. "Ignis. Ignis, wake up. Ignis, please, wake up, gods damn it! Move! And don't you dare open your gods-damned eyes, don't you fucking dare!"

He hated himself for not wanting the instructor to regain his sight, knowing full well how lost and angry Ignis felt, but with the way Ignis wanted to go about it, Gladiolus felt nothing less than one hundred percent justified in not wanting the other's sight to return. 

He couldn't be too late. Couldn't be. Surely Ignis hadn't made that pact yet. Surely Ignis hadn't asked Ifrit for anything yet. He must've just arrived. Yes, that had to be it. Maybe the chef's escort just dropped him off seconds before Gladiolus arrived, and Ignis succumbed to exhaustion. The cavern wasn't at all a place for someone burdened by two worlds of memories, loss and heartbreak. It was barely a place for students. Maybe, just maybe-

Ignis _would_ open his eyes, and everything would just stop. Time, space, fate, all of it would just come to a screeching stop.

Gladiolus winced, clutching the form in his arms harder, feeling as though Ignis had just rammed his own blade into his back. It _was_ too late. Too gods-damned late. Too late. "Perfect," the coach said, his voice coming out as a hoarse, small sob. He buried kisses into the other's forehead, painted the bridge of Ignis' nose in kisses, painted all of him in kisses before he'd disappear. "Just perfect. I've failed you _twice_ now."

The answer was just as small, warm, infinitely loving. "No you haven't."

_"Don't give me that bullshit! Ignis, look at what you've done! You made a pact with one of the gods! One of the fucking gods!"_

Ignis, cradled in his arms, smiled at him with a world of gentle, everlasting tenderness, eyes filled with ethereal light.

"I think I'll be quite all right, my good man. No need for you to worry about me. After all, we've only met just a few hours ago. Wouldn't be good manners to have a stranger worry about me, now would it? But I am delighted you're here. Perhaps you could see me safely out. It _is_ rather lonely in here."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I'm glad you're here! Your support really brightens my day. Thank you for coming!
> 
> This project was originally meant to be a oneshot, just my first bit of Gladnis I had to get out of my system, but with the wonderful feedback for the first chapter, I just knew I had to practice my Gladnis a bit more. I hope you enjoy this chapter as well, and once again, thank you for coming!
> 
> The Fire Cavern is one of Final Fantasy VIII's major locations, letting the players go through the tutorial while receiving Ifrit as a summon in the process. Instead of Ignis asking Ifrit to be his summon (or Guardian Force in the VIII universe), I had him make a pact with the deity-his sight for something else of great value. Whenever a mortal makes a pact with a Guardian Force, they've got to give something up in return-and Ignis chose to give up memory. He surrendered all memories of their past life and all of his memories of Gladiolus, from both their past lives and present lives. Ignis remembers rescuing Prompto with Gladiolus, but as far as Iggy's concerned, he never lost his sight and Gladio's just a friendly co-worker.
> 
> Thank you for coming. I'm not certain if this will continue, because I never meant for this to go beyond the first chapter, but I don't want to let anyone down. In any case, thank you so much everyone!


End file.
